“Now for your reward,” he said, taking a small rod from his bag and tapping me on the brow.
QUEST COMPLETE – Training 5
You have gained 1 rank in Minor Create Undead!
I blinked away the notifications and saw Balaka looking at me with a thoughtful gaze. “Now,” he said. “Take your new minions back to the garden and use them to exterminate the groundhog infestation. Their den mother continues to breed more of the pests within their burrow. Enter it and eliminate the den mother and as many of the vermin as possible.”
QUEST RECEIVED – Training – Final Exam
Utilize the skills that you have obtained so far to clear out the groundhog menace!
Criteria:
Use the Necromantic Bolt spell to slay an enemy: 0/1
Dissect useful components from fallen enemies: 0/5
Use the Rot spell to land the final blow on an enemy 0/1
Use the Dark Shield spell to defend against enemy blows: 0/3
Slay an enemy with your minions landing the killing blow: 0/3
Use the Drain spell to slay an enemy: 0/1
Use the Cripple spell on an enemy: 0/1
Destroy the Groundhog Den Mother: 0/1
Reward: 200xp, Necromancer Robes, and 10sp
“Holy objectives, Batman” I said quietly, looking at the necromancer trainer. The quest covered pretty much every one of the Necromancer class skills.
Well, no time like the present, I thought and looked at my map. A new waypoint had appeared on the top level of the settlement in an area of the garden that I hadn’t explored yet.
Reading through the list of objectives one more time, I headed for the tunnel to the surface, commanding my skeletons to follow me.
***
7
I reached the garden a few minutes later, moving through the vegetation towards the location marked on my map.
At the end of the garden there was a large hole leading into the ground with two big groundhogs flanking the entrance, their tiny rodent eyes keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding area.
The two guards shifted their gaze in my direction as I approached, their expressions somehow conveying suspicion. I moved closer until my Perception skill kicked in and named the larger rodents, their names written out in white.
< Groundhog Den Guard >
Time to get down to business, I thought as I sorted through the broken remains of my previously destroyed minions, collecting all of the leg bones for my Cripple spell. Taking one in hand, I focused on the Den Guard on the far side of the tunnel entrance and ordered my undead goblins to attack while I cast Cripple on the other.
I followed the ghost hands through a series of five gestures which infused the bone in my hand with necromantic energy. The final gesture of the spell was snapping the bone in half, releasing the pent up energy to latch onto the targeted Den Guard.
As the spell sank in, I could almost hear a sympathetic cracking of the beast’s own bones as it stumbled and then turned towards me with a growl.
The afflicted groundhog began to hobble towards me, much slower than its tiny cousins had moved when running me over earlier.
Taking advantage of its diminished speed, I tagged it with Rot and then cast a stream of Necromantic Bolts, that dropped its health bit by bit.
Closer to the entrance, I could see my minions systematically tearing the other Den Guard apart. The skeletal goblins’ bony claws were quite efficient at ripping flesh, and with a team of three they were able to take turns attacking while the Den Guard was focused on one of the others.
One of the skeletons had already felt the Den Guard’s displeasure and was missing its right arm from the elbow down. Another had its left femur cracked almost all the way through and was stumbling. Both of their health bars were over half full though, so I wasn’t too worried.
Rot pulsed on my target just as my latest Necromantic Bolt struck, blasting most of the rotting flesh from its skull and dropping it to the ground, dead.
I turned my focus back to the second Den Guard whose health was hovering around twenty-five percent. Two of my skeletons had taken some additional wounds as well, their bones cracked and showing signs of gnawing.
I moved closer to the battle and had the more damaged of the skeletons begin to play cat and mouse, taking a more active role in directing their movements. The groundhog turned its full attention on the undamaged minion as I got into position and cast Drain.
Dark lightning created the circuit between the Den Guard and me, draining the rest of its health and adding it to my own.
Its health bar dropped rapidly towards zero and I barely managed to cancel the spell just as the enemy’s health dropped to one percent.
The groundhog stumbled and let out a weak growl as my minions piled onto it and tore away the last of its health with their boney claws.
You have killed 2x Groundhog Den Guard! You have gained 80xp!
Quest Update: Use the Cripple spell on an enemy: 1/1
Quest Objective update! Use the Necromantic Bolt spell to slay an enemy: 1/1
Quest Objective update! Slay an enemy with your minions landing the killing blow: 1/3
The Den Guard variety of groundhog had the same options for Dissection as their lesser cousins: Bone, Meat, and Hide. The difficulty ratings hadn’t changed either, so I stuck with the safe (and more useful to me) option and dissected their skeletons.
Success! You have obtained a Groundhog Skeleton! You have gained 10xp!
Success! You have obtained a Groundhog Skeleton! You have gained 10xp!
Quest Objective update! Dissect useful components from fallen enemies: 1/5
Quest Objective update! Dissect useful components from fallen enemies: 2/5
With the last of my mana, I repaired my damaged minions and then sat down to rest and regenerate, keeping clear of the tunnel entrance in case any more groundhogs were in the area.
The goblin skeletons had done a pretty good job in their first battle, using their boney little fingers as deadly weapons. Soon they’d be put to the test again, but not before I renewed the magic holding them together.
I took another break, re-animating the trio of goblin skeletons, recasting Dark Shield, and then twiddling my thumbs while my mana regenerated. There may have been enough time left on my minions after the last battle to probably last another encounter, but I didn’t want to chance losing all my minions in the middle of a fight and end up eaten by a giant rat.
A quick glance down the tunnel showed no new enemies waiting to pounce, so I ordered my minions to follow and headed in.
You have entered the Mini-Dungeon: Groundhog Den
The tunnel descended into the ground at a slight incline, the diffuse light from up above almost immediately fading to complete darkness. The tunnel split about thirty yards in, one branch heading downwards to the left while the other path leveled out to the right.
Traditional RPG logic stated that one should never continue further down into a dungeon without clearing out the current level, lest one find their retreat cut off or monsters at their backs later on, so the right path was the only logical course.
I sent two of my minions to take the lead, following close behind while the final minion served as a rear guard. The leading skeletons followed the path as it turned sharply to the right and disappeared from my view, and seconds later a loud squealing echoed down the tunnel.
I rushed forward around the bend, taking stock of the situation as it came into view.
A few feet past the bend, the tunnel opened up into a small burrow barely large enough for my minions to stand upright.
The room was currently occupied by a small group of the normal groundhogs I’d encountered during my first mission, their name tags now dark gray in color.
My minions were having a field day, tearing the little buggers apart with very little issue, and before I could join in the battle they had finished, leaving the room empty of life.
You have killed a Groundhog! Th
is creature is no longer worth experience at your level.
Quest Objective update! Slay an enemy with your minions landing the killing blow: 2/3
Quest Objective update! Slay an enemy with your minions landing the killing blow: 3/3
I dissected the corpses that were still viable and collected a few skeletons and a larger collection of leg bones for my spell.
Quest Objective update! Dissect useful components from fallen enemies: 3/5
Quest Objective update! Dissect useful components from fallen enemies: 4/5
Quest Objective update! Dissect useful components from fallen enemies: 4/5
My bag was getting full from all my bone collecting, so I dismantled another set of newly acquired skeletons for their leg bones and tossed the rest to the side so I’d have some room free for future looting.
The current room was a dead end, so I gathered my minions and returned to the branch and further into the den. After a short descent the tunnel opened up into another small chamber with a pair of the larger Den Guards waiting within. By the time I saw them we had already been spotted and the rodents were heading our way.
Beginning the gestures of my Rot spell, I directed my minions to split; one on my current target and the other two on the second rodent.
As soon as the spell was complete, I switched to Necromantic Bolts and blasted the afflicted rodent.
The tight quarters gave a slight advantage to the rodents, and they knew it. Luckily, magic could do a lot to even the playing field.
When my bolts and Rot damage had dropped my target’s health to thirty percent I switched to Drain, stealing its life force for myself.
My minion did a great job of keeping the creature off of me as I drained it down to five percent.
Wanting to trigger some of the other objectives for my quest, I ordered the skeleton to join its brothers in attacking other the Den Guard. I glanced at my gauges continued the drain for another second before dropping the spell.
HP: 48/24 (200%)
MP: 124/278 (45%)
EN: 65/104 (63%)
I cast a Necromantic Bolt across the battlefield to strike the other groundhog, dropping its health down below thirty percent as well. My minions were doing a good job of spreading around their own injuries and were each hovering around sixty percent.
Turning my attention back to my own badly wounded target, I braced myself for the pain to come. The Den Guard rushed me as quickly as it could in its injured state and tried to bite my shoulder. Its teeth struck my protective shield and then scratched my arm, much of the force of the blow absorbed by the shield.
Quest Objective update! Use the Dark Shield spell to defend against enemy blows: 1/3
I winced as a chunk of the extra hit points dropped off of my meter, expecting pain that didn’t come. My distraction almost cost me though as I almost missed the creatures follow up attack as it reared onto its hind legs and clawed at my face. I dropped under its lunge but was still knocked backwards as its body collided with my own, my extra hit points dropping even further.
Quest Objective update! Use the Dark Shield spell to defend against enemy blows: 2/3
Ducking to the side, I avoided being crushed under the Den Guard as it dropped back to all fours and readied myself.
It turned and hissed at me, its hind legs tensing for another leap just as the Rot spell pulsed, causing a thick section of the creature’s hide to fall off with the rest of its health bar.
The health bar of one of my skeletons dropped to almost nothing as the Den Guard scored a solid hit, knocking it back against the wall and snapping some ribs in its jaws. I mentally commanded that one to stay down as I joined in on the party, casting Drain and ordering the remaining skeletons to hold the remaining groundhog in place.
The two skeletons leapt on top of the Den Guard, taking some serious damage as it flailed its claws and bit into their bones, but they didn’t have to endure it for long before my spell sucked away its final hit point.
You have killed 2x Groundhog Den Guard! You have gained 80xp!
Quest Objective update! Use the Rot spell to land the final blow on an enemy 1/1
Quest Objective update! Use the Drain spell to slay an enemy: 1/1
My minions moved to guard me as I knelt next to the groundhog corpses and began Dissection. All together I was able to harvest eight leg bones and a nice-looking groundhog pelt that was the result of a long shot second attempt on the first body.
I had no idea how the rotting and pustule-covered corpse managed to produce an intact pelt, but I wasn’t going to argue with my good fortune.
My minions were in desperate need of repair, so I made that my next priority, fusing and reattaching bones with my mending spell.
The skeletons had been doing pretty well with their claws, but if I remembered what Balaka had told me about their ability to use weapons, they could do better. I had the nail-bat I’d taken from the cavern with the lake, but nothing to equip the other two minions with. But one-armed minion was better than none so I handed the bat to the closest skeleton who grasped it in one hand with no issues.
Skeletons leading the way, we descended further into the groundhog den until the tunnel started to widen.
I halted my minions and entered Stealth, creeping up to the entrance to the next room. A giant groundhog was on far side of a large, dug out room, lounging on top of a nest of some sort. It was twice the size of the Den Guards. The rest of the cavern was full of young groundhogs even smaller than the ones from the surface. The little guys were all gray, but the big mamajama was yellow.
< Groundhog Den Mother >
My minions shambled in at my command and stepped into the room ahead of me, slashing at any groundhogs that got too close.
The Den Mother bolted upright as the skeletons came into view and let out a bloodcurdling shriek. In response, the horde of lesser groundhogs scattered in a panic, fleeing down smaller side tunnels and even past me and my minions as they attempted to get away.
Maintaining my balance against the wave of rodents rushing past, I cast Cripple on the giant groundhog.
The Den Mother shrieked again as the magic took hold, interrupting her rush towards us as her back legs seemed to buckle under her weight. I directed my minions to attack and followed up with the Rot spell, applying the DoT before switching to Necromantic Bolts.
The creature lashed out and grabbed onto one of my minions by the spine. Her neck muscles flexed as she tossed the skeleton against the cavern wall where the combined damage from the bite and the impact with the packed earth dropped its hit points to zero, causing its bones to fall apart.
As the monstrous groundhog turned back towards me, her head lurched to the side as a blood covered nail-bat smashed into her skull, knocking a solid chunk off of her health bar.
The giant groundhog’s head whipped around, knocking the skeleton away and earning a bleeding wound as the rusty nails embedded in the bat ripped across her flesh.
Taking advantage of the distraction, I hit her with another Necromantic Bolt.
The Den Mother turned to me, her health dropping to under half as the Rot spell pulsed. Her eyes began to glow a baleful red, and a white froth appeared at the corners of her mouth as she entered into some sort of frenzy.
She charged directly at me, her frenzy counteracting the debuff from Cripple. I barely dodged out of her way, taking a glancing hit as she rushed past me and slammed into the wall. Dirt and loose rocks rained down on the room as I regained my balance.
My Dark Shield flexed from the force of the glancing blow, absorbing some of the force but still leaving me bruised with another quarter taken off my health bar.
The Den Mother’s frenzied gaze fixed on the skeleton wielding the nail-bat. She charged directly towards it, the froth from her mouth dripping and mixing with the puss seeping out of the Rot-inflicted lesions.
Knowing it had no chance to dodge, I mentally commanded the minion to meet the attack head-on. The groundhog collided with th
e minion and crushed it against the wall, destroying it with her sheer mass.
The Den Mother turned away from its broken remains, the nail-bat hanging from her head by a nail that had been driven into her skull by my skeleton’s last stand.
I cast bolt after bolt into the Den Mother, slowly chewing away at her health while her attention was fixated on my last surviving skeleton, who I made sure was closer to her than I was.
Her flesh continued to rot, my spell pulsing every couple of seconds, eating its way deeper through the Den Mother’s flesh.
She charged across the room, nail-bat and all, and collided with my last minion, crushing it against the wall as I continued to hit her with bolts. Five percent, four percent, three percent, her health dropped with every bolt and pulse of Rot.
She turned its red eyes back at me and charged. Seconds before turning me into a kobold pancake, my last Necromantic Bolt struck her right between the eyes. Her hit points hit zero and she crashed to the ground, sliding across the dirt floor to come to a rest at my feet.
You have killed a Groundhog Den Mother! You have gained 100xp!
Quest Objective update! Destroy the Groundhog Den Mother: 1/1
Quest Objective update! Use the Dark Shield spell to defend against enemy blows: 3/3
Quest Criteria – Final Exam - Complete! Return to Balaka for your reward.
CONGRATULATIONS! You have reached Level 5!
You have gained 2 Intelligence!
You have gained 3 Attribute points and 7 Skill points!
Your Hit Points, Mana, And Endurance pools have increased!
Crafting and Gathering Skills are now available.
My attribute points were allocated to my three primary stats, increasing my mana pool, regeneration, and Fortune. Next, I upped my core skills: Necromancy, Dissection, Scavenger, Necromantic Bolt, and Minor Create Undead, and then used the two leftover points to increase Rot and Perception by one a piece.
Level up maintenance complete, I headed over to the Den Mother’s body and checked it for any loot, smiling when I spotted a soft glow coming from her mouth.
Extra Credit Page 7